The Union Ministry of Defence on Saturday announced that Vice Admiral Karambir Singh was appointed the next chief of the Naval Staff. He will take over on May 31, 2019, after Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba retires. Singh is currently the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.

Singh, who was born in 1959, was commissioned on July 1, 1980, into the executive branch of the Indian Navy. He will be the first helicopter pilot of the Indian Navy to become the chief of Naval Staff, the defence spokesperson said in a tweet.

“During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments,” the ministry said in a statement. “Vice Admiral Singh’s Sea Command includes Guided Missile Destroyers INS Rana and INS Delhi. He also served as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet and was Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat area.”

Before taking over as the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief of the Eastern Naval Command in October 2017, he was the director general of Project Seabird, deputy chief of Naval Staff and vice chief of the Naval Staff. He is a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.